Amid partisan rancor, local administrators must be steady

In an increasingly partisan political environment, local governments face the difficult task of unifying potentially disparate community members around common goals like sidewalks and libraries. With Election Day upcoming Tuesday, Jason Grant, director of advocacy at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), said it’s more important than ever for local administrators to remain steady and be a “non-partisan trusted voice for facts, data and information in the community.”

“The charge of city managers is to lead by example,” Grant said. Amid the rancor, it’s imperative that local leaders are “steer clear of the national debates and issues that are there. We stay focused on the local government’s issues.”

This is sometimes easier said than done. In the last several years, frustration over national politics has emerged in local school committee meetings, at library events and in small-town annual meetings. 

“There has been greater attention from parties on the federal issues,” he continued. “Sentiment of the federal government working its way to the local level.”

This evolution is in large part driven by impassioned constituents, but it’s also influenced by elected local politicians with larger political aspirations. This focus might submerge communities into national debates they otherwise aren’t directly impacted by.

“From a professional management perspective, that’s not the goal,” Grant said, highlighting the apolitical work public administrators contribute to their communities behind the scenes.

Those who work in local government understand the distinction between elected officials, who might run for local office on state or federal platforms, and professional administrators. But these are nuances that, while obvious to some, are sometimes shrouded by politicized perspectives. The broader community doesn’t necessarily know there’s a difference between the role of a city manager and a mayor. This can lead to some confusion about the power local administrators hold.

“Local government is something different. You see your elected leaders in the store. You can go to the meetings and have your voice be heard,” he said.

Especially in the past few years, public administrators have become targets, bearing the brunt of frustration over policies they had no control over, Grant said, noting “cases where they were attacked.”

Beyond ensuring the physical safety of government employees and providing de-escalation training opportunities, raising awareness about the limitations and roles of local government is a powerful way local leaders can combat misinformation. For example, making sure constituents understand how early voting works, and how both mail-in and in-person ballots are cast, processed and counted can push back against inaccurate election narratives. Grant highlighted engaging with constituents via interactive platforms like social media as an effective method.

Notably, ongoing staffing shortages across the public sector make it harder to effectively engage with constituents and overcome misinformation.

As communities across the United States prepare for what could be a contentious election next week, Grant stressed that decorum starts at home.

“We set the example of what trust and respect looks like., If our elected leaders and our government employees don’t set that example, that’s going to trickle down to the community,” he said. “Government workers truly are public servants and want to help the community.”